Lumumba, a Democrat, was sworn in as mayor in July after serving a year on the City Council. He is known for his legal representation of rapper Tupac Shakur, including a case in which Shakur was cleared of aggravated assault charges in the shootings of two off-duty police officers.

Other high-profile work includes convincing Republican Gov. Haley Barbour to release the Scott Sisters from prison, where they served 16 years for an armed robbery they said they didn’t commit. As mayor, he convinced voters to pass a 1-cent local sales tax for infrastructure improvements.